Dedicated on 15 May 1931, the building's namesake is President Woodrow Wilson, who was born in nearby Staunton.

[3] The building was constructed out of a blue-gray colored limestone block known as "bluestone"[4] mined from several local quarries.

[5] Wilson Hall initially served as the main administration building for the university and housed the president's office, the post office, classrooms (located on the second and third floors), and the first permanent auditorium on campus (built with a capacity to seat 1,400).

Constructed as the centerpiece of the JMU quadrangle, Wilson Hall is a three-story building featuring a portico supported with four Roman Doric columns, and a hipped roof topped with a cupola.

The inset windows of the building are enclosed by bluestone walls, and are placed in bays with a variable rhythm of three, one, and two.